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Thursday, 19 June 2014

I promised exciting making news last week, and here it is - I bought a kiln!

I've been stalking Ebay for ages now, waiting to find a secondhand kiln that didn't cost very much and could work on domestic power. I love the idea of being able to experiment at home with my ceramics, which is why I accidentally got that pottery wheel too.

The less exciting news is that it will take time to get our wiring adjusted and put in a dedicated circuit so that I can finally plug the kiln in. So in the meantime I will still have to fire my work at the local ceramics shop which means a long drive and a wait until they have a full load for firing.

That first batch of bisque pieces have had their final glaze applied and gone back for a last firing. Luckily batch two, the newer pieces that just needed bisque firing came back in a few days.

For those of you that don't know, bisque firing is the preliminary firing that sets the clay hard. A second, hotter glaze firing is needed to really set the clay and the glazes and give the piece its finish. So its quite a looong process. Hopefully it will all be quicker when I have a working kiln and hopefully I can show some finished pieces soon!

I made up some rough test tiles to use in my kiln when its ready, for a first test firing. These sample my stock of underglazes (I got a few colours for mothers day!) at different strengths and with different finishes.

Actually I quite like these as little pendants or decorative tiles. I must make some more.

Recently I also caught up with the ABCD social girls at the Etsy Craft party. We had fun gossiping while we embroidered and modified old photos. Its always fun to see everyone, craft people are nice people, so if you are local and haven't been I recommend it. Its always nice to be among like minded craft addicts!

Friday, 6 June 2014

I'm taking credit! We went west on the weekend to our nephew Fin's 18th birthday party and brought the chilly temps back with us over the mountains on Sunday.

Our flying visit to the country was a breath of fresh air literally. Its always such a treat to have the whole family in one place. We got to catch up with the new babies in the family, the teenagers, the young adults and the oldies. Mr Flowerpress is the youngest of four kids which means lots of family in all shapes and sizes.

We made a quick trip out to his sister's bush block where she is building and decided to come back soon, hopefully in the next holidays, to help build a crushed granite floor in her straw bale house.

On Sunday we fitted in a visit to see our nephews' collaboration. They are milling sustainable timbers from a wide range of amazing trees, including bunya pine, casuarina, pin oak, English elm and poplar.

Autumn means soup weather and slow cooking and crusty bread and bakes (including Hugh Grant macaroni!). I have unconsciously changed what I'm cooking as the days get colder.

Off to the Etsy Craft Party tomorrow for a bloggy/craft catchup. Can't wait.

Oh and good news on the ceramics front, but more about that next week!